Athlete Arunima's leg further amputed

Last updated on: April 17, 2011 22:39 IST

National-level volley ball player Arunima Sinha aka Sonu, who lost her leg after she was thrown out off a moving train in Barielly last week, on Sunday underwent a surgery at the Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University Lucknow. She had her leg further amputated to prevent the spread of infection.

"The second surgery was necessitated as Arunima's wounds developed severe infection, which could have led to bigger complications," Professor Vineet Sharma, a surgeon from the hospital told rediff.com. "Our main objective is to save her left knee, so that it will enable fitting of a simpler artificial limb," he added.

"She underwent debridement under general anesthesia. Her condition continues to be serious, but stable as of now. She is being continuously monitored and the university is providing all possible help including free treatment to the patient", said a senior official at Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University. Debridement surgery is done to help wounds heal quickly.

The twenty-three-year-old athlete was shifted from the Barielly district hospital to the orthopaedics department of the hospital on

Saturday. "Since she has multiple fractures in her right lower limb as well, we have to keep away from any kind of infection," said Sharma. "It's is a long process and Arunima will take several months to get back to her normal life."Due to excessive bleeding Sinha's haemoglobin level has gone done fairly due to which transfusion was done on Saturday night. She has been given two bottles of blood since she was admitted in the university. Her case is that of below knee amputation and she has been kept in high dependency ward, hospital authorities said.

A resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Sinha was pushed out of the general compartment of Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by some hoodlums, while travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on April 12. The police had lodged an FIR under section 307 (attempt to murder) and 393 (attempt to robbery).

After the accident, Sinha was offered a job by Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee. Financial assistance poured in from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who gave her Rs 1 lakh, as well as from several other voluntary organisations and individuals.